- GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx received a waiver to run for chair of the House education committee.
- She has been the leading Republican on the committee since 2017.
A top Republican lawmaker is setting her sights on leading the House education committee next year — and cracking down on student-debt relief is on the agenda.
On Wednesday, Rep. Virginia Foxx — currently the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee — received a waiver from the Republican steering committee to allow her to run for chair in the next Congress and avoid term-limits rules. She has been the leading Republican on the committee since 2017, and rules typically bar members from serving three consecutive terms as a leader or ranking member.
She is not running for the position unopposed, though — GOP Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan announced his plans to challenge Foxx for the top position on Wednesday. Still, Foxx told Insider that she is "incredibly honored" to be considered for the role.
"One-party rule in Washington let House Democrats run amok and push toxic policies that prioritized special interest groups over students, workers, and job creators," Foxx said. "If I am selected to Chair the Committee, I will make oversight a priority and put the federal government in its place. I will also pursue policies that give every American the opportunity to be successful."
Since Biden took office, Foxx has been highly critical of the higher education policies and reforms he has enacted, specifically related to student debt. She has criticized the cost to taxpayers that the continued extension of the student-loan payment pause has brought, and after Biden announced his plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers at the end of August, Foxx and many of her Republican colleagues slammed the policy.
They have since supported the two lawsuits that have blocked the implementation of the relief so far. After a Texas judge blocked the relief last month, Foxx said in a statement that "yet another nail has been added to the coffin of President Biden's illegal student loan bailout, and hardworking taxpayers across the country are rightfully rejoicing."
And in August, prior to the announcement of broad relief, Foxx joined two other GOP lawmakers in introducing a bill intended to counter Biden's plans by ending the student-loan payment pause and getting rid of targeted loan forgiveness programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness, among other things.
She has already been gearing up to bolster oversight over the student-loan industry — in November, Foxx, along with Rep. Jason Smith who is the top Republican on the budget committee, sent a letter to Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young requesting the office preserve all records related to costs of student-debt reforms.
"It is critical the Biden Administration is as transparent as possible with the American people on the projected costs and economic impacts associated with these policies, particularly how such fiscal impacts were taken into consideration as policy specifics were debated and finally determined," the lawmakers wrote.
Biden's administration is continuing to fight for it's student-debt relief plan, with the matter now sitting at the Supreme Court.